The need to maintain or improve oral health in an animal is of great importance. Poor oral health can lead to gum disease (gingivitis) and ultimately tooth loss, which can have severe effects on the wellbeing of the animal.
Poor oral health can be caused by a number of diseases and conditions. One of the most prevalent amongst cats and dogs is periodontal disease. Periodontal disease affects all cats and dogs at some stage during their lives. The aetiological agent in all cases of periodontal disease is plaque.
Current dietary methods for reducing or controlling plaque formation (and therefore associated conditions, such as gingivitis), in companion animals are usually mechanical means, such as hard chews or treats which act to scrape the plaque from the teeth, when chewed or consumed by the animal. The mechanical means rely on texture for their efficacy and a chewy rather than brittle texture is preferable to resist breakage of the means and therefore to also increase tooth cleaning time during chewing. Cats are less keen than dogs to chew for prolonged periods. Therefore products for various animals differ in texture to allow for these different preferences.
Textured toys may also be employed, to remove plaque mechanically from the surface of the teeth, without the animal ingesting any of the product that provides the textured surface.
However, the removal of plaque by mechanical means such as textured foodstuffs or toys relies upon the animal spending sufficient time chewing the mechanical means to scrape the plaque from the surface of the teeth. The amount of time required is difficult to assess and to monitor. In addition, plaque control on all tooth surfaces in the oral cavity is difficult to achieve via mechanical abrasion alone and certain teeth receive more efficient cleaning than others.
Plaque may also be removed or reduced by cleaning the teeth by brushing. However, owner compliance with toothbrushing is poor, with the result that very few dogs and cats receive a daily oral care regime of toothbrushing.
As an alternative to mechanical means for the removal of plaque, certain synthetic compounds such as chlorhexidine and triclosan can be used as antibacterial agents to reduce plaque. However, these compounds are broad spectrum antibacterial agents and, as such, may cause an imbalance in healthy gut microflora populations when ingested regularly. In addition, certain plaque bacteria have been associated with periodontal health and treatment with broad spectrum antibacterials would potentially kill these populations and would actually result in a less healthy oral microflora, leading to a reduction in oral health.
Accumulation of bacterial biofilms on the surface of a tooth can lead to gingivitis if not sufficiently addressed. Gingivitis is an inflammation of the gums caused by bacterial plaque that accumulates on the gum line. It can cause soreness, redness and bleeding of the gums.
An additional contributory factor to poor oral health is calculus. Since calculus cannot be removed by toothbrushing in normal cases, it accumulates on the tooth surface and irritates the gum tissue, giving rise to gingivitis. This is a further indication of poor or deteriorating oral health.
The addition of calculus formation inhibitors such as sodium tripolyphosphate to pet foodstuffs or to human oral care products helps to prevent calculus accumulation. However, this does not address the bacterial community composition within the dental plaque that is contributing to the detrimental effects of periodontal disease on the oral health of the animal.
Therefore, there is a need for reducing the effects of dental plaque in an animal, in particular by natural methods, without relying solely on mechanical means or synthetic chemicals or compounds and without stressing the animal. Furthermore, there remains a need for the prevention and treatment of gingivitis in an animal.